Annie Alowa, a Yupik elder from the Saint Lawrence Island community of Savoonga, served as a village health aide in her village of Savoonga for 25 years. She says: "I want this to be cleaned up before it is too late. It used to be a good hunting and fishing place, also for greens and berries now people are scared to pick anything from there." Ms. Alowa observes that there have been 13 deaths from cancers among the people who spent a lot of time at Northeast Cape and others have been diagnosed with cancers. She also believes there are birth defects and premature births that might be connected to the contamination problems at Northeast Cape

The Air Force acquired the strategically located Northeast Cape site in 1952 and operated it as a surveillance station as part of the North American Air
Defense Command from 1952-1972. Beginning in 1982, the Navy used the area as a White Alice communications site. Within an area that encompasses approximately 9 square miles, Army Corps of Engineers contractors have identified at least 23 contaminated sites that require environmental investigation and cleanup. Contamination includes fuel spills totaling over 220,000 gallons, solvents, heavy metals, dioxins and furans, asbestos, and PCBs. One of the several barrel dumps contains approximately 29,500 drums.

Large bales of copper wire left on the tundra at Northeast Cape have trapped and killed by starvation many reindeer.